Broken Morning
by aptasi
Summary: McGonagall-St Mungo's fic. Includes Umbridge confrontation. Mildly, ok majorly, ADMM. Not too angsty, mostly drama, I think.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** McGonagall-St Mungo's fic. Includes Umbridge confrontation. Mildly, ok majorly, ADMM. Not too angsty, mostly drama, I think.

**Disclaimer**: I have no rights to Harry Potter. This story is written merely for recreational purposes and no copyright infringement is intended. Also, parts of this are somewhat cliché. Ye be warned

**Broken Morning:**

The sunlight streamed into her room, flooding every room with radiant light. Minerva McGonagall opened her eyes, tried to move, and winced. Everything hurt. She could not draw breath and her chest felt as if it were in a vise, squeezed horribly, painfully, tightly. Her head pounded, making the rays of sunlight she perceived dance and spin in bizarre patterns.

Then, she remembered all of it. Her idiotic charge at the ministry officials left her children perilously alone. Everything was in Mr. Potter's hands now. Merlin, it always had to come back to her Gryffindors. Once, just once, it would be nice if Hufflepuff could pick up the slack.

Minerva was tired and uncomfortable. She desperately missed her husband, Albus Dumbledore, in times like these. However, as a true Gryffindor, she knew this was something she had to do alone, if lying in a hospital bed could be considered action. Albus would never risk his cover to come here. _And if he does, I will hex him into next century._ She thought wryly.

She had been ready to go with him when he left Hogwarts. The very thought of that toad drawing a wand on her husband made her blood surge. Albus had restrained her, instructed her to remain at Hogwarts, and kept her Celtic temper in check. Ironic that there had been no one to restrain her with Hagrid's arrest; she would have vastly preferred to fight for Albus. Hagrid was a good man and kind, and his treatment had been an unbearable injustice, but she knew whom she loved.

Minerva felt her back begin to cramp up and tried to adjust her position so she could rest. Bad idea. The slightest movement sent shooting pains through her body. _Nerve damage, wonderful._ The scientist in her realized. _This is going to be a long recovery. _She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the intrusive sun so she could fall back asleep. She tried to recall how comfortable she felt as she fell asleep in Albus' arms, and temporarily succeeded in dozing off.

Her efforts were, however, short lived, for the door came open with a resounding bang. Minerva suppressed the impulse to wince at the sound, when she saw who had arrived.

"Good morning Dolores." She said cheerfully, false cheerful, that is.

Umbridge walked to Minerva's bed, flanked by two goons, probably ministry officials. She stood over Minerva, waiting for a reaction. Minerva, loath to help Dolores, closed her eyes and ignored her. "Hem, Hem." Dolores enunciated.

"Are you speaking Dolores?" Minerva asked.

"Minerva," She began in a sickly pink tone, "How are you?"

"I've been hit by four stunners directly in the chest." Minerva responded dryly, "Next question."

Dolores frowned for a moment and then replied coolly "We need your signature on disciplinary records for Gryffindor students. You will provide it."

"Did it ever occur to you," Minerva asked, "That stunning an unarmed member of your faculty into a coma would not do wonders for her motor control. Interesting miscalculation, Dolores, but then, who would think that four stunners might affect my ability to move my arm? I am sorry, but you were wrong. I cannot sign anything, and I'm very glad." She would not help Dolores harm her students, no indeed. That foul blood quill had been horrible enough. Someday, she would see Dolores punished for that, as harshly as possible, but for now, all she could do was stand her ground. She would sooner die than help the 'High Inquisitor'.

"Someone can hold your arm for you to sign."

"No" Minerva answered immediately, glaring at Dolores and tensing all over, painfully.

"What?" Dolores answered perkily.

"Do you require a dictionary, Dolores?" Minerva asked sternly.

"I simply asked on whose authority you felt you could refuse." Dolores simpered in a condescending tone.

"My own." Minerva snapped, feeling her chest contract painfully.

Dolores leaned in so the ministry men could not hear her and whispered, "If I had known you'd survive the four stunners would have been five or six."

"I'm not afraid of that. Voldemort doesn't shoot stunners, you know." Minerva answered, making no effort to keep her voice down.

"Nurse!" Dolores called. A woman in a Saint Mungo's uniform entered the ward. "This woman is raving and completely unstable. The ministry requires you to keep her restrained and under guard. As painkillers seem to worsen her condition, you must not give her any of those. We will provide a list of potions that she is to be given, so that we can help her through her dreadful lapse into insanity, poor lady."

Dolores then leaned down and whispered to Minerva once more, "Potions with a few little additions, Minerva. You can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"Nice try." Minerva refused, in her sternest teacher voice, knowing she could only make her situation worse but wanting to spite Umbridge.

"I can make this hurt Minerva," Dolores informed her in her sweetest voice with a wide grin. "I might even improve your mind. You are insane after all, believing the ramblings of a boy and an eccentric old wizard."

"That's the boy who lived and the greatest eccentric old wizard of the millennium to you, toad." Minerva retorted.

"No one will ever believe a word you say again; when they hear the way you'll be ranting in a few minutes, Minerva. I can have them do anything I want." Umbridge whispered, "Anything at all."

"I never doubt it." Minerva replied icily.

At that moment, a team of healers and others rushed in and began to strap Minerva to the bed. "Make the restraints good and tight." The toad ordered shrilly, "She is completely delusional and possibly homicidal. Start her out on a strong double dose of the potions. Then we will see. "

Someone wheeled in a muggle IV, with a sinister yellow potion in the bag and several other bags in different glowing colors. A nurse pinned her arm to the bed and slipped in the needle. Whatever the potion was must have been hallucinogenic because Minerva saw colors swirl around her and form themselves into shapes she knew should not be there.

The last thing Minerva heard, before drug-induced madness took hold of her, was Dolores telling her, "I win, Minerva."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary:** McGonagall-St Mungo's fic. Includes Umbridge confrontation. Mildly, ok majorly, ADMM. Not too angsty, mostly drama, I think.

**Disclaimer**: I have no rights to Harry Potter. This story is written merely for recreational purposes and no copyright infringement is intended. Also, parts of this are somewhat cliché. Ye be warned

Minerva shuddered within her restraints and shivered uncontrollably, with tears streaming unheeded down her face. The nightmares and the hallucinations would not stop. Sometimes she saw Voldemort in the room with her and felt him hurting her, Crucios and other things. Sometimes she was in Hogwarts and saw her students dying, or Albus. Sometimes her students or friends were doing the torturing. Merlin, maybe she was crazy. It hurt so badly and felt so bloody real. Clever of Dolores, How was she or anyone else supposed to tell the results of the potion from the truth? Minerva knew she had been screaming and that she was reacting to things that were not there, but she was helpless to stop herself. She saw the shimmering image of a Death Eater shouting a curse. Merlin, it burned. She strained against the straps and shrieked, knowing now one would come. She saw her skin begin to smoke and peel as the death eater climbed onto her and began to punch and slap her.

Abruptly, the Death Eater vision wavered as disappeared, leaving the room clear and Minerva's mind comparatively lucid. She saw Umbridge walk across the room and stand over her. The toad reached down toward her restraints…

"No matter what you do, I'm not helping you, Dolores." She managed, praying that Dolores would let her go, but refusing to beg. _Merlin help me if she's here to increase the dose_, Minerva thought_, but she will never force me to change sides._

"Minerva. Minerva, it's me." She saw Dolores' form waver and resolve into the image of Albus Dumbledore. She hoped this was not another drug-induced hallucination. She hoped it with all her heart.

"Albus?" She asked weakly, trying and failing to raise her head. The ceiling and the floor span and changed places, turning pink, then blue, then green.

He was standing up and glaring around in one of his famous cold furies. "What in Merlin's name" Albus screamed, "Have you been doing to her? She should be healed by now, not bloody worse!" The sparkle was gone from his eyes. She did not remember him this angry since the last time they had faced Voldemort together. Even knowing the anger was directed to help her and not at her, it was a terrifying thing to watch. Or it would have been, it the world had not been spinning and changing colors faster than you could say Quidditch. Albus picked up the list of prescribed potions from the nightstand and his eyes grew even more murderous as he read it.

'I'm sorry sir," The healer said nervously, "The ministry left orders."

"And I'm countermanding them." He shouted waving his arms and looking positively murderous, "Get the bloody IV out of her arm and the antidotes into her or you will regret it to your dying day!"

As the healer scrambled to right matters, Albus banished the restraints with a wave of his wand and sat on the bed, gently pulling Minerva into his lap. He tenderly placed a hand on her forehead, and she felt healing energy rush into her. The healer glanced at them and ran out of the room as if pursued.

"You'll be fine soon, my love" He whispered, "By tomorrow, now that they're doing this right. The burns are healed, so as soon as the chemicals get out of the bloodstream…" He trailed off.

"I'm already better." She answered weakly, "Now that you're here. Did we win?"

He frowned, "Temporarily and at great cost, but now the world knows that Voldemort has returned. Sirius Black is dead, and Harry distrusts me, but the truth is finally heard."

"I'm sorry." Minerva said gently.

"Thank you." Albus answered meaningfully. They said nothing for a moment, only gently holding hands and comforting each other. They both knew what the battle, meant, and they knew they would discuss it later, in Order meetings and alone, but for now, it would have to wait.

"And Dolores Umbridge?" Minerva questioned softly.

"Recovering from a centaur attack, brought on by a run of stupidity unusual even for her." Replied Albus with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"I hope they broke every bone in her incompetent little reptilian body." Minerva said caustically.

"Close" Albus answered, with one of his trademark winks.."

"Well," Minerva responded vindictively, "That makes me feel a little better. I would love to watch while Poppy force-feeds her skel-grow. Turnabout is fair, after all." She paused, and just for a moment enjoyed the presence of her husband, a commodity too rare in wartime. Still, there were always duties, and it fell to her to remind her dear Albus of his. "You should get back to the school."

"You need me, Minerva." He said lovingly as he stroked her hair.

"No," She answered warmly, "Hogwarts needs you."

Albus finally answered, "If you're not back and healthy by the end-of-year feast. I'm coming back here and hexing the entire hospital staff."

"You do that Albus Dumbledore," Minerva replied, "Now get back to work and let me sleep." She tried to be firm, but it was so hard when all she really wanted was for him to stay with her.

"May I at least stay with you until you're asleep?" Albus begged, making the sort of puppy dog eyes Minerva was never able to properly resist, and transferring another dose of healing energy into her.

"Do you promise to go straight back to the school after and not neglect your duty?" Minerva asked in her teacher's voice, fixing him with a stern cat-eyed stare. It did not work of course. None of her teacher's tricks ever worked on Albus.

"I solemnly swear that I will do my duty fair lady." Albus replied grandiosely, with a wide sweep of his arms. The exaggerated gesture reminded Minerva a little of the Weasley twins, and made her smile. Truly, that portable swamp trick had been utter genius, anything to torment that horrible woman.

"Then you have my permission." She replied, leaning into him with her eyes already closing.

She breathed in his scent, a smell of comfort and of safety. His hand gently stroked her hair as she allowed herself to truly rest. Finally, she did not have to struggle and fight. For just this one moment, she was not a soldier. She was a woman falling asleep in the arms of her beloved husband. Finally, her sleep was not fraught with dreams and hallucinations. It was like a pleasant nap on a patch of sun in her Animagus form, restful, uncomplicated, and truly sweet.

It took only a moment for Minerva McGonagall to fall asleep. She did not feel her husband gently set her down on the bed and pull the blankets around her shoulders. She was not aware of the feather light kiss he planted on her forehead or the sweet way he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. She did not hear him whisper,  
"I love you, my Minerva," as he glanced behind him, one last time before leaving the ward to return to his school and his war. No, Minerva did not observe any of those things, but she did not have to. She knew, and she would always know, that she was loved

**The End**


End file.
